The death of a QA profession

Source: Dev.to

Why This Is Happening

The primary driver is the rapid advancement of large language models (LLMs). Historically, companies often skimped on quality, relying on developers to test each other’s code. When dissatisfied customers threatened to switch to competitors, the need for dedicated quality professionals became apparent—especially in B2B contexts. B2C companies have traditionally treated their users as de‑facto testers.

Now, even organizations that still employ QA staff are reducing those roles because LLMs can generate test cases, suggest edge cases, and produce code implementations that senior developers can quickly refine.

How LLMs Are Used in QA

• Test case generation: Prompting an LLM often yields scenarios the tester hadn’t considered, ranging from obscure edge cases to simple, overlooked situations.
• Implementation assistance: The code snippets produced are usually “good enough” for a senior developer to tweak with minimal effort.
• Availability: Unlike humans, LLMs don’t need breaks, sick days, or weekends.

Despite the growing cost of these tools, they remain significantly cheaper than hiring even a junior QA professional.

Economic Implications

Discussions about the decline of junior developer hiring suggest that short‑term savings may create a generation of “non‑senior seniors” who never had the chance to learn from more experienced colleagues. Companies continue to cut junior positions while also reducing QA staff, reinforcing a long‑standing industry bias against software quality until it becomes costly.

Outlook for the QA Profession

The combination of reduced junior hiring and diminished QA roles—exacerbated by LLM adoption—raises concerns about the long‑term quality of software that increasingly governs daily life. While a small group of senior developers can produce functional software with the help of LLMs, the risk of poor‑quality releases may lead to serious consequences down the line.

Only time will reveal the full impact of these trends, but the current trajectory suggests challenges ahead for the quality professional trade.